Loved this book. Has all facets of life including mystery, love, hate, intrigue and a good ending. I am waiting for the next one in the series. This author reminds me of Jessica Fletcher and Agatha Christie.

Helpful

This was a great start to a new series. I liked the wedding planner theme and the mystery was solid. The characters are interesting also and I look forward to reading more about them.
Many thanks to Level Best Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I started this book I was expecting a psychological thriller - please don't ask me why, I just did. What I got was even better: A cozy crime novel about a wedding planner! I love my psychological thrillers but Mary Karnes knew, what I really needed. A nice, cozy read without too many twists - but thrilling enough to make reading a blast.

Book Review: Wedding Bride and Doom…….A Wedding Planner Series Book 1
Stars: 4 X 5
Author: Mary Karnes
Publisher: Level Best Books
Thank You Netgalley for this ARC.

This Mary Karnes debut is a cosy mystery. Kate Ludlow is a California wedding planner and she decides to move back to New England. She also brings with her a teenage daughter, Ellis. You can bet Ellis isn’t happy with this move. Kate books the society wedding of the year., Marci Simpson’s wedding! If Kate can pull this off then she should get an abundance of new clients. Kate also is given the task of finding a missing ring that is a family heirloom that has been missing for decades and that is not going to be easy. The florist Kate hires is found dead. Kate becomes a person of interest in the death since she was the one who found the florist. Not only did the florist die but a few others drop too. To make matters worse her ex shows up causing another bout of stress. All of this is not good for business. As Kate is trying to figure all this out she meets up with her old high school sweetheart who comes to arrest her. Will Kate be able to get out of this predicament or will she end up in jail. Also will Kate be able to solve these murders? This was a great book to start off a new series and I am looking forward to book 2.

Kate Ludlow was a part-time wedding planner in California—until she dumped her cheating husband, that is. With her teenage daughter, she moves to the East Coast and becomes a full-time wedding planner to support them. It’s not easy starting over but if she can land the bride of the year, Marcy, she’ll be set.

It seems Marcy’s mother is more involved in making the decisions than Marcy is. Everything has to be the best and has to be perfect. There’s one glitch. Marcy wants to wear a ring one of her ancestors wore. The problem is, it went missing years ago and no one has been able to find it—but they expect Kate to have better luck and her planning the wedding seems to ride on her ability to find the ring as well as make everything perfect for the big day.

Kate’s luck doesn’t seem to be running that way. The florist is an old frenemy which makes things difficult. Of course, finding the florist dead in her shop can definitely put a damper on the whole event, especially when Kate becomes a suspect. It gets trickier. The detective is an old flame of Kate’s.

So, find another florist, find the ring, find the killer, or find herself out of business before she can even get started. Kate is what is called motivated.

This is the first in a new series. Karnes herself was a wedding planner so she knows all the pitfalls and possibilities that can happen when dealing with brides. The book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger which will leave readers wanting more. At the back of the book find tips on bridesmaid’s duties, how to be a good guest or host, buying the dress online, who and how to invite guests, recipes for spicy meatballs in sauce, moon rock muffins, and cream cheese brownies.

In a Wedding Planner mystery, Karnes brings readers to Hartford, Connecticut, where Kate Ludlow and her daughter Ellis have relocated after her divorce. However, while planning several weddings, Kate comes across Lori-Sue, her erstwhile rival dating back to their high school days, dead in her office. All of the evidence seems to point at Kate and even detective Brian McAllister, Kate’s high school boyfriend, seems to believe the facts (and Kate keeps finding herself in places tied to the murder at inopportune moments). As the plot thickens and the case seems to continue to close in around Kate as a person of interest, readers find themselves engrossed in the small-town stakes of this mystery. Karnes’ characters and their relationships are at the center of this novel, and her callbacks to characters’ past relationships with each other gives this novel the feel of a larger connection to the small community that Kate lives in. The characters drive this novel forward, and the reader experiences the mystery in real time with Kate, Ellis, and Brian -- though some intrepid readers may find themselves trying to solve the mystery ahead of the characters’ experiences. Karnes has created a good cozy mystery full of twists and turns that readers are sure to enjoy in Wedding Bride and Doom.

Katie found herself as the number one suspect in the murder of her florist. To top it off, her ex-husband showed up like a bad penny. The romantic installation of the Ex hussy felt disjointed. It felt like I was reading two different stories. This cozy was mildly intriguing, with mild excitement.

California wedding planner, Kate Ludlow, moves back home to New England after her marriage implodes. In tow is her teen daughter Ellis, unhappy and nervous about the move. Suddenly, Kate’s responsible for turning her part-time wedding planner gig into a full-time business. Kate’s off to a good start, too, when she books the society wedding of the year. The prosperity of her business is dependent on the success of Marcy Simpson’s wedding. The joy of an unlimited wedding business is intoxicating. But when Kate’s best florist is murdered, her focus changes from pulling off the year’s most glamourous wedding, to saving her own skin—for Kate’s suspect number one for the murder. Further complicating her life, Kate’s old high school flame, Brian McAllister, is the police detective assigned to the murder case. The spark is definitely not gone from their connection, as they have unfinished feelings. Throw in a scavenger hunt for an antique missing family ring, the job transfer of Kate’s ex to New England, and quirky and endearing townsfolk, Kate has more than she can handle—almost.

I really enjoyed this story. The plot was complex. It was fast paced and it kept me interested. Will recommend to others.

It has fun recipes in the back and lists for wedding stuff. A fun sorta love triangle, small town rivalries, and gossip. Everyone knows everyone else. There's also a missing ring that's sorta like a legend from the town and trying to figure out what happened. Murders and amateur sleuths....over all it was a fun little book.

This started out great and then just fizzle for me. Kate also starts out strong but then gets a little wishy washy and makes some TSTL decisions. I enjoyed the interactions between Kate and her daughter but tired very quickly of the somewhat love triangle that seems to be resolved but who knows. I also don’t see a wedding planner searching for a long-lost missing family ring, no matter how much the family is spending on her services, but I did enjoy the secondary mystery revolving around the ring. Other than that, I will continue with the series as long as the love triangle doesn’t pop back up.

Wedding Bride and Doom is the first book in A Wedding Planner Mystery series by Mary Karnes and unfortunately not really my cup of tea as it turned out, although I loved the premise and it sounded so nice and promising.

I found the main heroine to behave quite silly at times, almost like a highschool girl in some aspects, as far as the romantic interests in her live go, it was especially annoying as she is a mother of a high school kid.
Her inner dialogue was often funny and amuzing.
The plot flowed nice, it was a steady read with several interesting side characters, a lot of wedding trivia and funny moments, which I enjoyed.
However, the sleuting process left a lot to be desired in my opinion. It was all over the place, will she-won't she and it was somehow all over the place.
I really liked the secondary mystery. Always a plus in my book.

I was given an early. copy of this book and these are my own honest opinions. This was a page turning cozy mystery/wedding planner series. Kate had a wedding planning service in California, until her husband, Grant decided to file for divorce and take up with her now, ex-best friend. So Kate and daughter Ellis move back to Kate’s hometown in Connecticut to open a wedding planning company there. Even though it was a fledgling new company she did manage to score the wedding event of the year. This story covers many facets of the job of a wedding planner which included searching for a wedding ring which hadn’t been seen for 50 years and the bride must have it in time for her wedding; so Kate must find said ring before the wedding. Each chapter gives wedding etiquette tips. Meanwhile Kate’s high school nemesis is killed in her flower shop and Kate is the prime suspect since she finds the florist is deceased and the two had just exchanged argumentative texts within the last few days. Her high school sweetheart is the one who comes to arrest her. Need I say a romance is rekindled. Also Grant is transferred to Hartford. So many side stories to follow which keeps the story moving along quickly it includes many of Kates high school memories. I will be recommending and look forward to the next in the series. I look forward to seeing what happens during Ellis’s senior year. Special thanks to the following for allowing me to review an advance copy:#NetGalley, #LevelBestBooks, #MaryKarnes,#WeddingBrideDoom, Publication Date: August 22,2023.
Go out and get your copy to read. Perfect quick beach read/weekend want a change fun book

Wedding Bride and Doom by Mary Karnes is the first in the new Wedding Planner Mystery series and offers readers a charming escape into the world of cozy mysteries. Set against the backdrop of a wedding planner's often frenetic business, the book follows the enterprising protagonist as she navigates the twists and turns of planning a wedding while stumbling upon a mysterious case.

As the plot unfolds, secrets are revealed, motives are uncovered, and the amateur sleuth's journey to solve the mystery is both engaging and suspenseful. Mary Karnes balances the suspenseful elements with moments of humor and romance, creating a well-rounded and enjoyable reading experience.

Wedding Bride and Doom is a delightful addition to the world of cozy mysteries, offering a perfect blend of intrigue, camaraderie, and a touch of wedding magic. (I received an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.) Mary Karnes' storytelling talent shines through in this cozy whodunit that keeps readers entertained until the final "I do" of the story.

Wedding Bride and Doom is the first book in A Wedding Planner Series. Kate Ludlow is a wedding planner and has recently moved from California to her former home in New England after her divorce from Grant. Her daughter Ellis, unhappy about the move. Kate now has to turn her business from part-time business to full-time.

Kate is excited to book the society wedding of the year. It is important for the success of Marcy Simpson’s wedding to help bring in new clients. Keeping the wedding as her focus Kate also has agreed to look for a ring belonging to the bride's family, that has been missing for decades as part of the contract. Kate is off to secure the best florist when she finds her murdered. Kate finds herself a person of interest since she found the body. Kate has her hands full when bodies keep dropping, and her ex-husband turns up adding more drama than she needs right now.

This was a fun fast afternoon read. The story is told from Kate's point of view, which is hilarious as we see her thoughts of what she really thinks about some of the characters. There are some recipes that are added after the end of the story that are talked about during the book. I think this is a great idea to add the recipes after hearing about them. Looking forward to more wedding planner adventures.

As an avid lover of mysteries of all kinds, this cozy mystery did not disappoint. From the first chapter, I was immediately transported into Kate’s world—and didn’t want to leave. It’s the kind of escape you want while sitting on the beach on vacation, or snuggled up in your favorite chair on a lazy Sunday morning. I devoured the book in just a couple of days and will be anxiously awaiting book #2.

new-series, first-in-series, life-changes, divorced, small-town, small-business, entitled-attitude, entrepreneur, wealthy, murder-investigation, Connecticut, amateur-sleuth, family, florist, gossip, rivalry, local-law-enforcement, angst, wedding-madness****

If you enjoy mysteries where the background is entirely founded on high school angst, you will adore this new series. Everyone from the MC to the victim to the police detective to her attorney (and more) are all connected through their high school days despite all of them being in their mid to late thirties. Sorry, but not my cup of tea. The character development makes each of them realistic and the plot development is solid and has some really tricky plot twists.
I requested and received an EARC from Level Best Books/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles via NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a light easy read and a cosy mystery that bowled along without requiring a lot of concentration. Many of the red herrings and clues were easily resolved and it made for a pleasant escape from reality for a few hours. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this novel.

Fantastic debut novel by Mary Karnes.

An easy to read, cozy mystery - wedding planner Kate and her teen daughter Ellis have moved back to New England after Kate's divorce and she's set up a new business. Things are running smoothly, she's busy and taking on new clients when she's named a suspect in the local florists murder. But it seems a lot of folks had secrets and they're all coming out in trying to find the murderer. A great cast of characters, an intriguing story and lots of mystery in this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I enjoyed reading this book which had an engaging plot set in a quaint small town. The story had several unexpected twists that made it even more interesting. In addition to the small-town backdrop, the book also gives a glimpse into the world of wedding planning.

This is a cute idea for a book series. Each chapter starts with a tip for planning your wedding or for the actual wedding day. I just found the story too perfect. Every obstacle that was thrown at the main character, Katie, was nearly solved without much effort. She somehow knew where to find items that had been missing for 50+ years.

There were also some sentences that didn’t make sense. I think with a little refining and flushing out this box could be better. Thank you to Nat Galleyfor allowing me the opportunity to read this book.